The start of a new NBA season is great news for sports fans. They’ve got months of great basketball action to look forward to. But which fans are going to be celebrating this season, and which ones are going to just want it all to end so they can start dreaming of the next season?
The Popularity of the NBA
Before looking at which teams might win the NBA Finals in June 2023, it’s a good idea to see how popular this professional basketball league has now become. There are NBA fans all over the planet. But it’s still seen as one of the most typical American leagues, with most supporters in the US. Analytics firm Nielsen confirmed a 22 percent increase in viewership for the 2022 NBA Finals.
A look by ExpressVPN at the most popular streamed sports in the US put basketball firmly in second place, behind football but ahead of soccer and baseball. Interest in basketball streaming has grown significantly since 2017. Many fans are turning to online services to find ways of watching their favorite teams in action conveniently.
Will the Golden State Warriors Win Again?
The Warriors have made it to the Finals six times in the last eight years and won on four of those occasions, with the last of those victories coming when they beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 earlier in 2022. This season looks like more of a challenge, as they’ve lost some of their most experienced players. And their team harmony was seriously disrupted when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole at practice.
If that altercation has been put behind them and their players work together, the San Francisco-based team has enough talent to win the title one more time. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jonathan Kuminga are a few of their top players who will be expected to drive them forward this season.
Can the Boston Celtics Go One Better This Season?
Despite falling at the final hurdle in the last season, many analysts believe that the Boston Celtics are in a strong position to win at the NBA Finals this time around. This makes them favorites in the latest betting odds. A change of head coach in the summer has disrupted their preparations. Their second-round pick in the draft, JD Davidson, isn’t expected to make much of an impact in his rookie season.
The addition of Mathew Brogdon to the Celtics’ roster could turn out to be inspired. But injuries to Danilo Gallinari and Robert Williams III could prove to be crucial to their hopes. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets are among the other teams being widely tipped to take the NBA by storm this season. Boston fans will be hoping to see a sharper offense lead them to their 18th championship win.
This is set to be another exciting season in the NBA, with no clear-cut favorites to win the Finals. Everyone who follows basketball will be keen to see how the season progresses. This means that the demand for NBA streaming and other ways of watching the big games could increase further.
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